Jewish Council for Public Affairs

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Jewish Council for Public Affairs, JCPA, is described as "the representative voice of the organized American Jewish community". It shapes consensus on a broad range of concerns and develops strategic responses to emerging situations. The JCPA then assists the Jewish community address issues through a broad coordinated plan that involves work with the media, elected officials, coalition partners, and others.

International issues on the JCPA agenda include U.S.-Israel relations, global anti-Semitism, United Nations reform, the well-being of Jews in endangered areas, and international human rights.

Domestic issues on the JCPA agenda include anti-Semitism, social justice and programs to fight poverty, education, public health, and individual rights. The JCPA places a high priority on Constitutional freedoms including the separation of religion and state. The JCPA is also actively involved in environmental concerns though its Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life.

The current chair of the JCPA is Lois Frank from Atlanta. The Executive Director, since August 2006, is Rabbi Steven Gutow.

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[edit] Purpose

The JCPA serves as the common table for the American Jewish community relations system, bringing together 13 national Jewish agencies and 125 local Jewish federations and community relations councils.

[edit] Goals

The mission statement of the JCPA states that:

The JCPA serves as the representative voice of the organized American Jewish community in addressing the mandate of the Jewish community relations field. The mandate is expressed in three, interrelated goals:
1 To safeguard the rights of Jews here and around the world;
2 To dedicate ourselves to the safety and security of the state of Israel;
3 To protect, preserve and promote a just American society, one that is democratic and pluralistic, one that furthers harmonious interreligious, inter ethnic interracial and other intergroup relations.
These goals are pursued in a non-partisan manner informed by Jewish values. History teaches us that Jewish security is inexorably linked to the strength of democratic institutions. Thus, our community has a direct stake - along with an ethical imperative - in assuring that America remains a country wedded to the Bill of Rights and committed to the rule of law, whose institutions continue to function as a public trust.

[edit] Background

Founded by the Council of Jewish Federations in 1944 as the National Community Relations Advisory Council, this organization was known as 'nacrac' even after changing its name to the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council (NJCRAC) in the 1960s.

The organization was renamed the Jewish Council for Public Affairs in 1996. Since that change, JCPA shares its acronym with the similarly-named Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, a Jerusalem-based think tank on Israeli security and the U.S.-Israeli relationship.

The JCPA has 13 national and 125 local member agencies - the Jewish Community Relations Councils that serve as the public affairs arms of their local Jewish federations.

Each year, the JCPA has an annual conference known as the Plenum. In addition to speakers and networking, the JCPA Plenum is the highest policy developing body of the organization. Resolutions, which express the consensus policies of the organized American Jewish community, are developed over a six month period, debated at the Plenum, and moved for adoption. These policies become part of the JCPA Policy Compendium which includes positions on a range of issues.

The JCPA has three main task forces:

  • Israel, World Jewry, and International Human Rights
  • Jewish Security and The Bill of Rights
  • Equal Opportunity and Social Justice

[edit] Programs

The Israel Advocacy Initiative is joint program of the JCPA and the United Jewish Communities

The Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life (COEJL), is an affiliate of the National Religious Partnership on the Environment

[edit] Members

The 13 National Member Agencies of the JCPA are:

[edit] Campaign for Children's Health Care

The JCPA is a partner in the Campaign for Children's Health Care, a multi-year campaign to raise awareness about the problem of uninsured children in America.

[edit] External references

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